OBS Virtual Webcam: How to Use OBS as Your Camera in Video Calls

OBS Studio has a built-in Virtual Camera feature. It takes whatever OBS is showing, such as your webcam plus logos, text or frames, and offers it to other apps as if it were a normal webcam. The basic workflow is to build a scene in OBS, click Start Virtual Camera, and choose OBS Virtual Camera as the camera in your call app or browser. The virtual camera carries video only, so you still choose your microphone separately.

What the OBS virtual camera does and doesn't do

A virtual camera is a software device. Your computer lists it alongside real webcams, but its picture comes from a program instead of a lens. OBS composes your scene and the virtual camera passes the finished image to Zoom, Teams, Meet, a browser or any other app that accepts a webcam. It does not improve your webcam's hardware. Sharpness, low-light performance and focus still depend on the physical camera and your lighting.

Two points can change what this guide means for you. First, using OBS as a webcam is different from using a phone as a webcam. OBS can only send out what it already receives, so a phone needs its own connection method before OBS can use it as a source. Second, older guides may tell you to install a separate virtual camera plugin. Current OBS Studio releases include the feature, so try the built-in option first.

Before you start

• Install OBS Studio from its official project site and keep it up to date.
• Connect your webcam and confirm it shows a picture in at least one app.
• Close other apps that might be using the webcam. On many systems only one app can use a physical camera at a time.
• On Linux, the virtual camera depends on the v4l2loopback kernel module. If the Start Virtual Camera button is missing or fails, install that module through your distribution's package manager.
• On macOS, the first start may ask you to approve a system or camera extension in System Settings. The virtual camera won't appear in other apps until you allow it.

Step 1: Add your webcam to a scene

• In the Scenes panel, use the existing scene or click + to create one, for example "Calls".
• In the Sources panel, click + and choose Video Capture Device. On macOS the source may be listed under a similar camera-capture name.
• Pick your webcam from the device list and confirm with OK.
• If the webcam image doesn't fill the preview, drag its edges to resize it, or right-click it and use the Transform options to fit it to the screen.

Step 2: Add graphic overlays

Overlays are extra layers drawn on top of your camera image. Add each one with + in the Sources panel:

• Image: for logos, name badges or decorative frames. PNG files with transparent areas let your camera show through the empty parts.
• Text: for your name, title or a short message. On Windows this source is called Text (GDI+). On macOS and Linux it is Text (FreeType 2).
• Browser: for overlays built as web pages, such as animated lower-thirds from an overlay service.
• Layer order: sources higher in the Sources list are drawn on top. Keep overlays above the webcam source.
• Locking: once everything is placed, click the lock icon next to each source so you don't move it by accident.

Overlays are a virtual call effect. They are separate from your physical background, which is what the camera actually sees. They are also separate from edited photo backgrounds, which are changed after a picture is taken. If you want to replace your background in OBS, the built-in Chroma Key filter works with a physical green screen: right-click the webcam source, choose Filters, then add Chroma Key. Removing a background without a green screen needs third-party plugins. This guide doesn't cover or verify those.

Step 3: Check the video size

Open Settings, then Video. The Base (Canvas) Resolution is the size of your OBS workspace. The Output (Scaled) Resolution is the size OBS sends out. Setting both to your webcam's native resolution avoids stretching or black bars. Call apps often compress or downscale video, so a higher setting in OBS doesn't guarantee a sharper picture for the people you're calling.

Step 4: Start the virtual camera

In the Controls panel, usually at the bottom right, click Start Virtual Camera. By default OBS sends the main program output, which is your active scene. Some versions have a settings button next to Start Virtual Camera that lets you send a specific scene or source instead. Leave OBS running during the call. Stopping the virtual camera or closing OBS cuts the feed, and other people will usually see a frozen or blank image.

Step 5: Select OBS Virtual Camera in your call app or browser

• Desktop call apps: open the app's video or camera settings and choose OBS Virtual Camera from the camera list.
• Browsers: the site needs permission to use your camera. When the browser asks, allow camera access, then pick OBS Virtual Camera in the site's own video settings or in the browser's camera selector for that site.
• If OBS Virtual Camera isn't listed, fully quit and reopen the call app or browser. Many apps only check for cameras when they start.
• Don't also select your physical webcam in the call app. OBS is already using it, and choosing it directly bypasses your overlays.

Step 6: Verify the result

Check three things separately, because each can fail on its own:

• Access: OBS Virtual Camera appears in the app's camera list and the app is allowed to use it.
• Capture: the self-view shows a live, moving picture with your overlays, not a black frame or a still image.
• Quality: the picture looks acceptable to the other side. Use the app's test-call feature, or ask someone in a short test call how you look, because your self-view doesn't show the effects of the app's compression or the other person's connection.

Many call apps mirror your self-view. In a mirrored self-view, overlay text can look backward to you even though it reads correctly for everyone else. To confirm, check how the image looks to the other person or turn off self-view mirroring in the app, rather than flipping the text in OBS.

Audio is separate

The virtual camera doesn't carry sound. Select your microphone directly in the call app's audio settings. Confirm the mic is listed (detection), check that its level meter moves when you speak (input activity), and then use a test call or recording to confirm your voice is clear (intelligibility). Sending audio processed in OBS into a call requires separate virtual audio routing, which this guide doesn't cover.

Common problems

Problem | Likely cause | What to try

OBS Virtual Camera isn't in the camera list | The app started before the virtual camera existed, or the camera extension wasn't approved on macOS | Restart the app or browser. On macOS, approve the extension in System Settings and restart OBS.

Black or blank image in the call | The virtual camera isn't started, the wrong scene is active, or the webcam source has no picture | Click Start Virtual Camera, switch to the correct scene, and confirm the webcam shows in the OBS preview.

Webcam shows in OBS but says "in use" elsewhere | Another app already has the physical camera | Close the other app. In calls, use OBS Virtual Camera instead of the physical webcam.

Overlay text looks reversed | The app is mirroring your self-view | Check with another participant or disable mirroring in the app's video settings.

Start Virtual Camera is missing on Linux | The v4l2loopback module isn't installed or loaded | Install it from your distribution's packages, then restart OBS.

Image is stretched or has black bars | Canvas or output resolution doesn't match the webcam | Match Base and Output resolution to the webcam in Settings, then Video.

Limits of this guide

No tested measurements, performance figures or version-specific details were available for this guide. Menu names and button locations can differ between OBS versions and operating systems. Compatibility also varies by app. Some programs, such as certain exam-proctoring tools, may refuse virtual cameras, so test the specific app before an important call.